Project Instructions: EX2507, Beyond the Blue: Palau Mapping 3

Details

• Personal Author:
  Albano, Patricia
• Corporate Authors:
  NOAA Ocean Exploration Program (U.S.)
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OER (Ocean Exploration and Research) ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)
• Description:
  This project is part of a multi-year campaign with NOAA and interagency partners to enhance understanding of the diversity and distribution of deepwater habitats across the Pacific. It will support the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems and underwater cultural heritage sites important to multiple NOAA Line Offices, local stakeholders, and regional management councils. The data will also inform models used to identify critical mineral areas. This expedition will generate new baseline information on habitat distribution and function in the Pacific Islands region, including the characterization, extent, abundance, and sensitivity of deep-sea habitats. It will examine links between benthic and water column productivity to better understand ecosystem function and the role of unique benthic habitats. Results will be compared to data from other regions to address major knowledge gaps identified by scientists and resource managers. All data will contribute to the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the U.S. EEZ, Seabed 2030, NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program’s upcoming Pacific Islands initiative, and other ongoing partner efforts. In partnership with the Republic of Palau, the expedition will also map and collect environmental DNA (eDNA) in key areas of Palau’s National Marine Sanctuary, advancing scientific knowledge, filling data gaps, and providing critical baseline information for future management decisions.
• Keywords:
  Mapping Ocean Exploration Okeanos Explorer
• Series:
  EX-25-07
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.25923/49nv-t044
• Format:
  pdf
• Document Type:
  Project Instruction
• Place as Subject:
  Palau ; Pacific Ocean
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC0 Public Domain
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3441a285cad712cd184c61b6b65a1c31c06d32127d96f7ba3436fc6b73bb5ea632023c53c210e25c5676e81ee23e7e834c318c9946ab62cdd22f73aa68607dd5
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/73419/noaa_73419_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.96 MB ]